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Monday, September 16, 2013

A Fall Weekend Recap

Another weekend in the books, folks. Can you believe we are already halfway through September? I feel like I say it every year, but 2013 is going by scary fast...

This weekend actually felt like fall in Chicago-- chilly and a little sunny, then a little rainy. It was one of those great weekends where we didn't have any big pressing plans so we just had fun. Here are a few snapshot from our weekend. How was yours?

We started Friday night off with a dinner date at Dillman's, a new spot in River North. It's close to home and it's like a really chic Jewish deli. Then on Saturday I met up with Alexis in Wicker Park for a girls brunch al fresco at Takito Kitchen. I'll be sharing my thoughts on both restaurants with you in upcoming posts!

Have you seen this idea on Pinterest for preserving your fresh herbs? I have tons growing on my deck, but they are starting to brown and I'm afraid I will lose them to cold weather soon so I needed to do something. I picked them, chopped them, and put them each in a section of an ice cube tray. Then I covered each with extra virgin olive oil and froze them for use in future recipes. I'll keep you posted on how it works!

On Saturday night we headed up to Chicago's Old Town neighborhood for the Crush, a post-Labor Day street festival celebrating wine.

Like most fests in this City, Crush had neighborhood restaurants and bars in tents serving up food and beverages, local artists showing their work, and entertainment. The Crush also featured a wine and craft beer tasting event as well as a wine stomping competition. We did not participate in that. :)

New to the Crush this year: A mac and cheese cookoff! Each of the restaurants participating in the festival also sold $2 tasting portions of their own signature mac and cheese so that we could taste and vote for a winner. I sampled some good ones including mac and cheeses from Benchmark with Andouille sausage, bacon and brisket from The Fireplace Inn, Orso's creamy Italian-style, Adobo Grill's spicy smoky mac and cheese, and one from Kamehachi with pork belly and Asian chili sauce.

Adobo Grill got my vote!

Oh, and one of our favorite cover bands Wedding Banned was there to end the evening too-- so much fun!

And after an evening of wine and mac and cheese on Wells Street, what better way to cap off the night than with some bar snacks? We stopped in at Corcoran's Grill & Pub, one of our favorite Irish pubs in Old Town for a nightcap and some apps. Corcorcan's food is simple, but is consistently tasty. I used to meet Alex here for lunch when he worked in the neighborhood and we have also popped in for drinks with friends since it is a great "meet in the middle" location. This time around we shared some soft pretzels (served with yummy spicy mustard dipping sauce) and an order of fried cheese curds.

Sunday was a rainy and gloomy day, so I spent most of it getting things done around the house and doing some fall baking. Here's a sneak peek at the process (that's a lot of apples!)... I will be sharing the recipe with you this week!

P.S Did you notice that A Squared got a little makeover for fall? What do you think?﻿

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A Squared is all about life, love, and the pursuit of great food here in the fabulous city of Chicago. I love food: both cooking (it's my therapy) and trying new restaurants. You can also find me exploring Chicago, traveling, drinking wine, studying architecture, and spending time with my husband, friends & family. And I will share it all with you here.
Welcome to A Squared!